tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-89555123017129315322012-02-16T01:12:44.092-08:00steatodanoreply@blogger.comBlogger471100tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-23103752977880764082009-03-24T04:02:00.000-07:002009-03-24T04:17:57.774-07:00

I don't know if it's the sh*tty weather, or lack of exercise, or lack of good food or school pressure, lack of sleep, or bad grades, or just hormonal imbalances or what, but I feel so CRAP!Such a loser. . . I hate the world, everything, can't focus. . . my god. So what if I don't get an HKU 3.5? It's not the end of my world. So what if I get rejected by all the IBs? It's not like I don't have

steatodanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-22292486196958881692009-03-11T13:19:00.000-07:002009-03-11T13:24:49.044-07:00

Have finally understood it. Advice, really, just steers you from making mistakes. Doesn't give you direction, purpose.We all grow, and be changed by the environment around us. Nothing is forever.See what you can. Do what you want to do.Pursue it. Live it.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-51337639085391575052009-02-17T21:17:00.000-08:002009-02-17T22:17:23.605-08:00

Heard about a book yesterday called The Overachievers: The Secret Lives of Driven Kids. Got totally into it this morning. I have a lot in common with these kids. Even though NZ isn't an ultracompetitive atmosphere. I guess parents, myself, SCONZ, RI was. And I have figured out why I choose IBanking those years ago. Benchmarking. i.e. returns. Easily benchmarked results that I can further fight

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-76416308956422031522009-02-15T22:52:00.000-08:002009-02-15T23:20:39.336-08:00

Just spent most of today reading, re-reading my resume and CL. I cannot believe how long this kind of thing takes. For two sheets of paper!It's remoulding yourself. Rewriting history. Take things you have done and change them. All this makes me think. Is anything we do really worth it?

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-66966910417726824582009-02-14T00:33:00.000-08:002009-02-14T01:22:22.486-08:00

Just woke up from napping in the medical library. I'm really quite hopeless. Studying is definitely not my strength, Think of how long I have spent in a similar situation, sleeping, reading, sleeping, think about random stuff, read, do problems. I'm so sick of this.Went to a Valentine's Day party last night. Horrible. I'm not going out anymore. I'm not used to the drinking and the hedonism

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-10176655949010682252009-02-10T05:03:00.000-08:002009-02-10T07:43:45.836-08:00

I have come to realise, that, I am damned boring!I mean, what on earth do I talk about? Me. My worries. My future. My family. My feelings. My grades. Do I simply have no other topics??? Nothing in life that interests me besides myself and what I like?Would someone else reading this blog be interested at ALL? I know I wouldn't be. I would think that I'm a self-absorbed, self-assured, oblivious

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-75160978890589784102009-02-04T07:52:00.000-08:002009-02-04T08:16:02.627-08:00

Went to a firm visit at a insurance company today. Went well I guess. One of the Directors invited me to apply and discussed the brillant future of the Mainland Chinese insurance industry development with me. Charted Financial Planner was what he was pushing. Even private wealth has their own certification now.But, looking at those people in cubicles, talking on phones, tapping on their keyboards

steatodanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-88212750626140752022009-02-02T04:18:00.000-08:002009-02-03T19:35:18.717-08:00

I'm suffering from writer's block. Actually, it's more like a language block. It seems that as soon as my Chinese improves a little, and I think that I can speak fluently, my English then regresses, and I speak like an uneducated 12 year old. And then, as soon as my English reverts back to its flourishing self. . . . . Everything is hard.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-29591036849124158842009-01-15T07:45:00.000-08:002009-01-15T08:02:17.591-08:00

It occurs to me, that, if I am serious about coming back to China, I need to learn Chinese. And not just learn, LEARN. Sigh. I'm setting myself a goal of 10 words per day. It's tough, but I need to be able to do it. . . . then assuming that I am able to fully stick to it, and, I actually remember, then, assuming that I already know 3,000 or so, in a year's time, I'll know enough to be considered

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-82971143699118657722009-01-10T23:29:00.000-08:002009-01-11T01:09:48.979-08:00

At the airport, I bought a copy of Marcus Aurelius' Meditations. It's in both Chinese and English, so I can practise off it by reading one chapter and then the same chapter again. Perfect, since it's one of those books that one can always re-read and gain a deeper understanding. Apparently, 温家宝 has it next to his bedside table and has read it many times. Kind of like the Bible. I finally see why

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-76163684602301071952009-01-10T02:15:00.000-08:002009-01-10T03:50:27.006-08:00

忘记年龄，忘记不愉的事，忘记伤痛。（可是最后的应该是对于感情的伤痛吧，有病该治。）在理发厅里听到的八卦理论。:-)有的时候生活的噪音真的蛮烦的。可是还是要处理。今天天气真好，清明，宽阔的蓝天。晚霞也很美。买了一本《中国国家地理》。照片上那些遥远的景色，就像我小时候想象中的。好想去哦！可是需要更一些靠得住的人一起去。那些人在哪儿？找他们可难呢。快看完Black Swan。给我启发。还是继续读下去。看点数学。我学数学的时候，心里总是有一个独特的安定感。从解出一难题取得一个幼稚的乐趣。不必在乎国家大事，自然的秘密什么。这是不是为什么很多孤独症的孩子喜爱数学？还是躲在这个社会的避风港吧。忘记时间的流逝，忘记世上烦恼和伤痛。不要太快长大，在当几年小孩吧。

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-77620553443248908732009-01-09T19:46:00.000-08:002009-01-09T20:08:12.085-08:00

I have realised that I am being very silly. Life is a constant struggle, and we must live through it. I'm still young, and I live in a very different era to my parents. They were made to believe that as long as they did whatever the country told them to, they would be provided for for the rest of their years. That is only in utopia, although my grandparents are living that life. In a way it is a

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-31269159385679517122009-01-09T01:56:00.000-08:002009-01-09T02:20:15.679-08:00

This just out, ranking of top 200 jobs. Mathematician comes out top, and they earn decently.http://www.careercast.com/jobs/content/JobsRated_10BestJobsAm going into a conjoint degree when I get back for sure. Banking is good, but I can't be a banker for life. I like sleeping too much. I think I can take two years. And make a good job of it. Then sleep for a month, hopefully not slip into a coma

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-90016581631459525962009-01-08T05:17:00.000-08:002009-01-08T05:21:49.339-08:00

This just occurred to me. In big cities, there is no space nor time for hobbies, so one pursues money and shopping. Thus, the obsession with designer handbags in HK. There is nothing else. Yacht, sport car, town car, holiday car, small plane is totally out of reach, so it becomes all about the bag.Is that a sad thing? Bags are safer than those other forms of entertainment. We are just apes after

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-10053989133597862792009-01-08T04:36:00.000-08:002009-01-08T05:16:24.277-08:00

I was going to do a post on what Chinese people want from the billboard advertising that I have taken all over the place. Satire. Then I realised, hey, I have all these things. Just not in China.Day after day I sit here bitching about my life. Yesterday, upon conversing with a childhood friend that had basically the same fate as me since childhood, I realised that a lot of it is my own fault. He

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-4683192820081865632009-01-06T23:26:00.000-08:002009-01-07T00:47:49.237-08:00

As much as one does not want to think about it, it keeps hitting one in the face doesn't it? I don't want to do grad school, but then, working life is horrible. But then, as I am newly reunited with Candide, without trials and tribulations, without struggles and overcoming them, without setting ourselves goals and falling flat in our attempts to reach them, life is not life but a mere

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-54083828086597949202009-01-04T04:44:00.000-08:002009-01-06T23:33:48.775-08:00

At the end of every year I like to reflect on my past, present and future. This year, I would like to think that there is no point dwelling on the past, the present cannot be other than what it is, and the future cannot be planned. But, maybe it is my woman's weakness, but I can't help but still think. And this is to help me collect my thoughts.There are no big things in life, only a multitude of

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-68575027388083143032008-11-24T18:15:00.000-08:002008-11-24T18:30:04.872-08:00

This stemmed from my breakfast order this morning.The decisions I made from my coffee-less state were as follows:1. I'm going to try something new. What is this chicken steak thing?2. Well, I hate the ham, and I really want some bacon, so lets get chicken steak with bacon3. Double egg is high cholestrol anyway, and I'm newly on a diet correct?4. This canteen place depresses me, I'm gonna takeout

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-41763500213413324652008-11-24T04:57:00.000-08:002008-11-24T05:26:13.488-08:00

To my utter shock, I am considered fat in HK. I'm not even depressed. I'm keeping the body. Makes me special. And plus, I'm becoming fond of the curves. It's who I am. And of course, you can't make me stop eating. That would make me depressed.Plus, I don't have to be pretty. It's not necessary for me to have enough resources to live the life I need. I don't have a comparative advantage in that

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-56084653273785740382008-11-22T06:56:00.000-08:002008-11-22T08:27:01.004-08:00

Went hiking today. With the MBA people. Had a good time running around, joked around etc. Had a fun talk with instructor about HK girls. Stemmed from my continious eating. And "bye bye fat" (aka underarm fat). All the Hongkie chicks seem to care about is being pretty and marrying a rich man. I thought of doing that, but realised that it was too high risk, with no chance of diversification. On the

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-55464232077407501742008-11-04T04:41:00.000-08:002008-11-04T04:45:25.852-08:00

I have just realised that most of my week is, well, was spent based on irrationality. I went and listened to classes because I paid for them, and therefore should go. However, what I paid was a sunk cost! I am basically paying for my degree. There are no consequences to not turning up to class. There are, however, consequences to not turning up to tutorials, so I better go to those. I can't

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-86054765273614396242008-10-28T00:40:00.000-07:002008-10-28T01:19:01.249-07:00

Ok, yesterday was a unbelievably good day. I had a epiphany, an adventure early in the morning, followed by an excellent Insurance lecture. This guy is like having a guest lecturer twice a week. He talks about almost nothing except what is currently going on in industry in HK. I then listened to Professor Lord Nicholas Stern talk about climate change (not that inspiring but he is my first

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-16538016931492685582008-10-26T19:03:00.000-07:002008-10-26T19:34:36.175-07:00

This morning, in order to save some time, I caught the wrong bus (4 not 4X is the correct one) and ended up in Sheung Wan. De ja vu? However, this proved all for the best.Being me, I decided that the food must be better here, and that since I was there already, I should go get some breakfast. This thinking resulted in a 20min walk around the place, where I managed to get to the bus stop, and lo

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-33416398624767924782008-10-23T04:53:00.000-07:002008-10-23T05:17:42.793-07:00

I have just realized that there is not real place I call home. Wizard of Oz echoed through this vast cavern of consciousness (ok, perhaps less than vast, but it sound good with cavern correct?). There's no place like home. Where is home? Nanjing? I sleep very well there. And eat even better. But is it really home? I'm coddled and cuddled. I make extreme efforts to be nice. I feel guilty when

steatodanoreply@blogger.com1tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-9854684358362438962008-10-20T08:53:00.000-07:002008-11-01T20:47:47.462-07:00

Some people in life, just have mastered the art of making others feel like they are close to them. When in fact they are not. Some have the knack of making others feel that they are distant. Even though they are close.The former reaches and he receives. The latter is always wondering why he always makes such distant friends.New insights on friendships. But contrarily, closeness may be more easily

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-51978311146387850692008-09-11T05:29:00.000-07:002008-09-11T06:42:28.214-07:00

Just went to one of the halls accross the road for the first time since I got here. There is stuff piled all over the corridors, there are people walking up and down the place, they're all really together. Like their own little club. I felt a little foreign. Ok, I felt really foreign. Just like at the canteen by myself. Noone talks to me, and I just eat by myself...it was really terrible.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-52096530333743391922008-09-05T08:58:00.000-07:002008-09-05T10:52:33.392-07:00

I am blogging off my old, gigantic laptop. I am back in love.Bought Struck and White's Elements of Style yesterday at the HKU bookshop. For like, 80 HKD. So, it is my hope that this investment will pay off and I will become more understandable. The books here are so cheap. But not to the folks back home in the mainland. Now, things there are really cheap. I miss it.Am so exhausted at the moment.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-54099505605459881802008-09-01T03:21:00.000-07:002008-09-01T04:32:47.221-07:00

And very frustrated. I can't find my course website. The one for my sole course today that has the assignment that is due on Monday and I don't have a credit card, a student card, nor do I have a computer, nor a camera......at least I have money. That I have trouble accessing....but still. I should look on the bright side of life.The computer system is screwed up. And I thought nDeva was f*cked

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-36340104609359357542008-08-19T03:17:00.000-07:002008-08-19T03:40:13.600-07:00

Well, for the past few days, I have been watching chick tv shows. And, since they are all about love, I have found that there is a distinct difference between the english speaking ones, and, the chinese dubbed, korean speaking ones. On a side note, Korean and Japanese cultures both embody, in a MUCH fuller form than what China has at the moment, elements of what chinese culture used to be. Korean

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-85355683396426327592008-08-15T03:20:00.001-07:002008-08-15T03:30:16.793-07:00

5.00 Wake up, brush teeth, early pre-reading6.00 Breakfast, walk to school, tie hair on way there6.15. Start school.No of subjects: 9Papers needed to be completed per day: 2-3 per subjectTime needed for one paper: avg. 30-45 mins9*2.5*37.5=843.75mins ~14 hours12.00 Lunch (one might want to use this opportunity to skip lunch and do a paper)12.30 Finish lunch21.00 Class finishes, Night

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-71620593222910937182008-08-15T02:31:00.000-07:002008-08-15T03:20:19.551-07:00

Oh yea, found this on Economist forums by a certain "Maeglin". Yea, I'm totally addicted to Ex-communist v West discussion boards:". . . But I have to ask you this - gentlemen, why do you trust your media? It has lied to you about WMD, it has lied to you about Kosovo and about 1st war in Yugoslavia. We do not trust our media. We have learnt it the hard way. Why not take a piece of advice and not

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-36302577003428119722008-08-12T06:36:00.001-07:002008-08-12T07:03:53.447-07:00

I've wanted to talk about this for ages now. I don't know if I have said it and am repeating myself, but seriously, please, don't believe the crap they feed you. I mean, I think I have understood why AMUNC was not that pleasurable an experience for me beyond the fact that I didn't stay up all night drinking with everyone else. It's because actually despite all that "debate" crap, most of them

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-26623372510496875592008-08-12T01:29:00.000-07:002008-08-12T06:32:39.256-07:00

Gold is power。In this trip, I am understanding why people do a lot of the things that I thought was bad and swore that in my generation, I and my fellow peers would never do. Ha ha, was I quite the young visionary? If my family were lower-class or upper-class, this kind of thinking may have manifested itself into revolutionary and idealistic behaviour at my age. Fortunately (or unfortunately) my

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-62930423327780137912008-08-10T21:32:00.000-07:002008-11-08T07:14:45.712-08:00

Went there today and looked at Nanjing's premier tourist spot. The remains of the nationalist uprising, and also a Ming Dynasty tomb. Nice architecture.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-32578210858048027262008-08-10T21:01:00.000-07:002008-08-10T21:32:09.517-07:00

Ah, I knew I shouldn't have watched it but....its like being on a high peak. You know you shouldn't look down but.... So bad. It's not even the fact that they suck. It's the attitude. Did you see that person's face when he missed right in front of the goal in the 8th minute? Not a scrap of apology. Not a hint of "omg, this is so humiliating that I missed something like this in front of everyone".

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-48169070836459164832008-08-02T06:55:00.000-07:002008-10-29T20:39:12.927-07:00

Went and had another fancy lunch today. But luckily, it was with family, so we took everything we couldn't eat with us. Made us look a little cheap, but it was for the good of the environment, the poor etc etc. I have always wondered, do they really just throw away food that we haven't eaten? It's such a waste! But I really don't want to think about the things that one may do with restaurant

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-44853587226318025562008-08-01T09:38:00.000-07:002008-08-02T06:55:17.216-07:00

It has been raining superhard for the past 24 hours, which has resulted in the little street outside of our house being flooded! There is about mid-calf height water just outside, that we kinda had to wade through carrying our purchases yesterday afternoon. It is currently just after midnight, and due to my excellent life of endless food, my multitudes of mosquito bites from visiting my ancestors

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-11311190845904530512008-07-31T03:44:00.000-07:002008-07-31T04:13:39.084-07:00

Ok, so, I was tired and irritable in my last post, so it may not be a fully accurate reaction of how I feel.It occurs to me that I should be recording my eats so that I may relive it when I'm far from it.Lets see in the past few days, thing that jump into my memory:Zhang Jia Gang:1. Fresh rice: freshly harvested. Glowing, soft sheen, with a sweet, clear fragrance. No need for any accompaniment.2.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-41458056130432108272008-07-30T06:41:00.000-07:002008-07-30T07:17:59.366-07:00

Back in Nanjing!!!!! So happy. Home sweet home. This one was meant to be a rant about how us Chinese are second-class citizens even in our own country etc etc, how the old peasant culture mindlessly favours males over females etc.... I mean, so what if I have a rare surname and am not male....dammit, if I ever breed, they are going to have my surname. Cost of doing so, don't care.Plus, just

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-63494015947127179592008-07-28T04:53:00.000-07:002008-07-28T05:02:50.583-07:00

I cannot believe how much difference to the waistline ten days or so can make. There is definately much more of me to love. But I can't help myself when there are so much good food in this world! Sigh. I resolutely bought that small sized pair of short anyway....even though I couldn't quite fit into the waistline. But I have faith. Plus the medium sized one had around 2 inches of free space.

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-80875568993577785882008-07-27T04:29:00.000-07:002008-07-27T06:22:23.323-07:00

TODAYDu family reunion. All of us together. I was mostly in coffee withdrawl. Head Ache. Still haven't quite figured it out. Other than that there is a definate generation gap.It was really sad saying goodbye to Great-Aunt and Uncle. They sang for us some local operas on the car. Will no doubt see them again.Am now at an aunt's house. Will get to taste some more of Shanghai tomorrow. Night!

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-23935896009442651802008-07-25T04:59:00.000-07:002008-07-25T06:00:54.433-07:00

We went to a "village" close to Zhang Jia Gang today. It used to be a part of collective socialism during the old days, and the villagers there have kept the spirit. The force is still strong in the village. Their village motto is:"家有黄金数吨,一天也只能吃三顿饭"Even if a family has gold in the tonnes, one can only eat three meals a day.At the hotel /Gold tower (12o million yuan, with 39kg of gold turret on

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-61034261589449515172008-07-24T05:58:00.000-07:002008-07-24T06:02:08.225-07:00

This from Yesterday's Wall Street Journal:Here's Another Olympic Sport: Skewering the MascotsChina's Five Characters Spur Confusion; 'Could Have Been Much Better,' Says Creatorhttp://online.wsj.com/article/SB121677560339275779.html?mod=2_1338_topboxI can't believe that they have run out of that many ways to diss the Olympics that they resort on commenting on the cuteness of the dolls. Rupert

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-71591766747794921812008-07-24T02:46:00.000-07:002008-07-24T05:57:22.531-07:00

Yesterday, we arrived in dad's hometown of Zhang Jia Gang (张家港). The changes to the place over the past few years are ENORMOUS! It has become a model city of economic development. This used to be a one horse town, now.... there a high rise apartments everywhere, miles and miles of newly developed highways, factories, parks, man-made lakes, high end shopping......totally don't feel like I'm in a

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-63375472824589252382008-07-20T05:16:00.000-07:002008-07-20T06:28:32.973-07:00

Ah, my third day of endless food and heat. The freshness of the city is still very much upon us. Even the rice tastes better.Insects of home:The cicadas are so cute. They chirp in waves. One of then starts and the others also start in competition and it gets louder and louder and then suddenly. . . .it breaks off and there is silence. Only to start all over again a while later.The dragonflies

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-47686783897075957952008-07-18T02:00:00.000-07:002008-07-18T18:25:03.773-07:00

Just arrived in Nanjing after a long journey, it has been fun. It is currently around 33 degrees and it feels like a sauna when you are away from the AC. I'm actually quite enjoying it, it's like getting a sauna without going a very hot room with an endless supply of cold drinks and food at my disposal.I'm afraid I am being affected by the great firewall of china atm. Facebook is cut off for some

steatodanoreply@blogger.com0tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-8955512301712931532.post-57591441694091802122008-07-13T23:54:00.000-07:002008-07-14T01:50:07.571-07:00

Hello my future readers!I have resurrected one of the products of my old trawls through the vast world of cyberspace.As I contemplate my first period away from home, there are many things that strike me.Firstly, how much do I know my adopted country? I don't interact much with local media, local marketing doesn't really reach me either (doesn't help that around 90% of it revolves around a sport,

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